The Cinderella Syndrome
by Slight Imperfections
Summary: AU SetoAnzu-Boy was Anzu surprised when her father came home engaged. Now with her new step-relatives, all she wants to do is go to the school dance. And it isn't helping that her eccentric godfather is trying to set her up with rich classmate Seto Kaiba!
1. Engaged?

Well here I am starting a Yugioh fanfic with the Rurouni Kenshin ones unfinished. Oh well! I just figured I'd post it anyway. The next chapter should come in about a week or so, although it might be on Thursday. Depends on how my exams are. Buuuut.....After next Tuesday I will have FINISHED FRESHMAN YEAR! Yes! Not that you all care. coughs  
  
Anyway not too much rambling today, here's the story!  
  
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"I'm here to help you with your fondest wish. You will be going to the Prince's ball.", the fairy said.  
  
Cinderella looked up, face streaked with tears. "How can I go? My stepmother forbade me, and I have nothing to wear.", she gestured at her dirty servant's garb.  
  
"Ah, but with just a pinch of magic...", the fairy winked at her and waved her wand. Cinderella looked down is surprise as her simple dress became a long, gorgeous gown. "And to go with it...", a tiara appeared on her head, and a pendant around her neck.  
  
"But this is much too fine for me!", Cinderella protested, rather regretfully.  
  
"But you are going to the Prince's ball! And you must outshine everyone there!"  
  
oOOo  
  
"Anzu! I'm back!", the brown-haired girl looked up, placing the marker in her book.  
  
"Hey Dad!", she greeted, blue eyes mischievous, "How was your date?"  
  
"It was fine.", he answered. Anzu raised her eyebrows at him as he came and sat next to her on the couch.  
  
"That's the 'fine' I give you after a day of school. What happened?"  
  
Mazaki Ryuichi looked nervous. "Well..."  
  
"Well...?"  
  
"Actually, Anzu..."  
  
"What, Dad?!", she cried exasperatedly.  
  
"I... asked her to marry me."  
  
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"Anzu? Anzuuuu...", Yugi waved a hand in front of her face. "It's no use guys, she's totally spaced out."  
  
"She's been sitting in that same position for at least ten minutes.", Honda remarked.  
  
"Let me try.", Jounouchi said, pushing past him and leaning over the girl. He whispered something in her ear which quickly elicited a reaction.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Jou! You perv!", Anzu shrieked, swinging a hand to slap him. He caught it easily, grinning.   
  
"Sorry, but you were totally spaced out."  
  
"I was?", she blinked. "Oh, I just have a lot on my mind."  
  
"Like what?", Yugi asked her.  
  
"Well, you know that woman my dad was dating?"  
  
"Yeah?", her three friends leaned in.  
  
"Well, he's been getting really... close to her lately..."  
  
"Yeah...?"  
  
"Nah, it's too weird.", she shook her head, and begin to rifle through her binder aimlessly.  
  
Yugi, Jou, and Honda fell over. "COME ON, ANZU!", they yelled. "What happened?!"  
  
She put her head on her desk, burying her face in her arms. She mumbled something unintelligible.  
  
"You want me to carry you?", Jou asked, confused.  
  
Anzu lifted her head up. "He asked her to marry him." The three stared at her for a minute before she was pelted with questions.   
  
"Really? When's the wedding? Is she nice? Never mind that, is she hot? What's her name? Does she-"  
  
"I don't know! I haven't even seen her yet!", Anzu told them.  
  
"You're getting a stepmother and you've never met her.", Yugi stated.  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Why haven't you met her yet?", Honda asked, sitting on the desk next to her.  
  
"Dad usually introduces me to his girlfriends after a month, and they've only been dating for two weeks."  
  
"Two weeks?", Jou said incredulously. "Two weeks of dating and he asks her to marry him?"  
  
"Also right.", Anzu sighed, glancing at him cynically. "And you'll never guess when the wedding is."  
  
"Tomorrow?"  
  
"Your birthday?"  
  
"His birthday?"  
  
"No, next month, during spring break."  
  
"That soon?!"  
  
"Yeah.", Anzu looked like she was about to say more, but their teacher came in and called them all to attention. The class filed back to their seats, Anzu's friends looked back at her worriedly as they did.  
  
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"Hi Mom.", Anzu said as she swung her bookbag onto her bed. The sixteen-year-old walked over to her dresser and picked up a picture sitting on it. She gently traced her mother's face with a finger. "I wonder what you'd say if you knew what Dad was doing. He always said that you used to tell him off for being too impulsive. But he must really love this woman, he dated some women for months before they'd break up. I wonder if she reminds him of you? Nah, Dad always claims that you were one of a kind.", she sat it back down slowly, gazing at her mother's face.   
  
The picture was taken at Anzu's fifth birthday party. Anzu had just finished eating a piece of cake and her mother was laughing at all of the icing that she had managed to get on her face. Her father was in the process of bending down, napkin in hand, obviously not thinking it quite as funny as his wife did, although he was still smiling.   
  
"And I'm nothing like you.", the girl sighed. Her mother had long black hair and warm brown eyes, eyes that were always smiling at some secret joke. She was the one with the sense of humor, laughing at the silliest things. Anzu had inherited her father's looks and temperament, brown hair, blue eyes that always seemed to be telling someone off. The only thing she didn't have was his glasses.  
  
"Anzu!", her father yelled from downstairs.  
  
"In a minute!", she yelled back, dragging her eyes away from her mother's face. She had died only a few months after the picture had been taken , hit by a car when crossing the street on a rainy day. The driver couldn't see her, and she hadn't noticed it until too late. Anzu had been at school.  
  
"Yeah?", she asked after dashing down the stairs.  
  
"I was wondering if it'd be okay if I brought Tsubasa home for dinner tonight.", he told her.  
  
"Tsubasa?"  
  
"Kazemura Tsubasa. Your new stepmother?"  
  
"Oh.", Anzu winced mentally at the phrase. "Um. Sure, why not? I'd love to meet her." She was secretly happy that he'd asked her first. The sudden unexpected marriage proposal had confused her. Anzu and her father had always talked about everything before they did it. She couldn't imagine why he wouldn't want to tell her something as important as the fact that he was getting married.  
  
"Good.", he looked strangely relieved. "She'll be here at around six, so be ready."  
  
"I'm always ready!", his daughter told him, smiling as he put his arm around her.  
  
Ryuichi looked at her, feeling a pang of sadness. Anzu always said that she only took after him, but there was always something about Momoko, her mother, in her smile. He shook the sad thoughts away. "So what should we have for dinner tonight?", he asked her, steering them into the kitchen.  
  
"How about Italian?"  
  
"Sounds great."  
  
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Anzu looked happily down at the stove as the doorbell rang.  
  
"Oh, that's her!", her father said, starting to rush to the door, "Is my tie on straight?"  
  
"Hold on...", Anzu fixed it for him. "Perfect! You look great!"  
  
"Thanks.", he smiled gratefully at her, and opened the door, Anzu standing a little behind him.  
  
"Tsubasa!", he welcomed her in, taking her light spring jacket. Anzu winced as he kissed her.  
  
'Stop that!', she scolded herself. 'They're engaged and perfectly allowed to kiss! You didn't mind it with his other girlfriends!'  
  
'But they were never his fiancee.', said a voice in her head.  
  
Anzu shook her head, forcing a cheerful smile as they woman turned around to look at her. Was it her imagination or did she see something like disapproval cross Tsubasa's face when she looked at Anzu? "Hello. I'm Mazaki Anzu.", she introduced herself politely.  
  
"Yes, Ryuichi's told me much about you.", the woman took her hand, shaking it quickly and almost dismissively. Anzu's father didn't notice, having been too busy carefully arranging her expensive jacket on their coatrack.   
  
"Dinner's ready in the dining room.", he said turning to face, oblivious to the puzzled look his daughter was giving his fiancee.  
  
"Shall we eat then?", she hooked her arm in his, and they walked into the dining room, Anzu trailing behind.  
  
As they began their meal, she surreptitiously studied her new mother-to-be over her plate. She wasn't very tall, with shoulder-length wavy reddish hair, her bright green eyes sparkled with life whenever she looked at her future husband, and something like disdain whenever she glanced at his daughter. 'What could be so wrong with me?', she wondered, glancing at herself for a moment. 'I'm dressed okay, right?', she appraised her outfit. Nice white blouse, new red skirt, not too fancy, not too casual. Anzu looked at what Tsubasa was wearing. It was a deep blue dress, short-sleeved and V-necked. It didn't look too expensive until you realized that it was made out of silk. 'I'd hardly think this would be the occasion for it, though.' Anzu thought wryly, 'Unless that's the simplest thing she owns...'  
  
"Anzu?", her father's voice broke into her concentration.  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"You've been staring at Tsubasa for the past five minutes; is something wrong?"  
  
She blushed a little. "Oh! No, of- of course not, I was just.. admiring.. her, uh necklace! It's just so pretty, where'd you get it?", she said quickly.  
  
"Why thank you dear, it's just a little thing your father bought me.", she gave her future stepdaughter a smile that looked more to her like a smirk.  
  
'Little thing my foot.', Anzu thougth resentfully. 'Those look like real diamonds! And that's probably a sterling silver chain, too.' She forced herself away from these thoughts, afraid that they would show. She took a drink from her glass. "So, um, Kazemura-san-"  
  
"Please, Tsubasa's fine."  
  
"Uh, Tsubasa-san. Do you have any kids?", Anzu asked.  
  
"Oh, she has two daughters.", her father broke in. "About your age too, right?"  
  
"Yes, they're twins. Sixteen. Charming little things."  
  
'I'll bet, if they're anything like you.'  
  
"What are their names?"  
  
"Hibari and Komadori. Hibari's older. By eight minutes.", the woman said proudly.  
  
They were then treated with a long explanation of the two girls. By the end of seven minutes, Anzu knew most of their likes and dislikes, the names of their last boyfriends, and what they's gotten on their last report card.   
  
"And they'll be transferring to your school when we move in, Anzu dear.", Tsubasa finished.  
  
"Move in?", she said surprised.  
  
"Of course.", her father looked at her, puzzled. "We are getting married, and it is customary for husbands and wives to live in the same house. "  
  
"Oh... yeah.. Sorry, I guess it still hasn't sunk in yet, so sudden and all...", she trailed off in a mixture of embarrassment and thoughtfulness, fooling with her fork.   
  
"Well, it's getting late.", Ryuichi said regretfully as he glanced at the clock on the wall.  
  
"Yes, I must be going then.", they stood up.  
  
"You go ahead and see Tsubasa-san off.", Anzu told her father. "I'll clean up."  
  
"Thanks.", he gave her a quick smile before leading his fiancee off.   
  
'It's gonna be a long month...', Anzu sighed and began piling things on the plates.   
  
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Well there's chapter one! I hope it's good. I had a little fun with the names, so here's a handy little guide to them:  
  
Kazemura= "wind village", a last name  
  
Tsubasa= wings  
  
Hibari= lark  
  
Komadori= Robin  
  
Review please!!! The more reviews, the sooner I'll (try to) update!!! No flames though. It's hot enough.  
  
Oh. Does anyone else here live on the east coast and suffer from cicadas? Man they're everywhere here in good ol' Maryland... 


	2. A Wedding and Room Disputes

Well I updated a lot faster than I thought I would! Isn't that special? Hm. I've dodged cicadas, got out of dissecting a frog, and cemented my place as teacher's pet of Spanish I Period I. blinks Whatever. First day of exams are OVER!!! Only three more to go... --  
  
I already have seven reviews!!! I love you all!!!! Thank you for all of your kind remarks! And, for those of you who added me to you favorites lists and author alerts: MARRY ME! ::everyone edges away::  
  
::coughs nervously:: Um. Just ignore that.  
  
Here's chapter two, just for you, please review! (Hey that rhymes... all the times you try it! Can't deny it! I'm a poet and y'all better know it!)  
  
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"Cinderella!", cried her evil stepmother. "What are you doing downstairs? Go back up and scrub the floors!"  
  
Cinderella walked slowly up the stairs, tears in her eyes as her stepsisters laughed. 'Oh father,' she thought. 'Please come back soon! You have to see how my family is treating me!'  
  
Her stepsisters came upstairs to laugh at her more as she set a pail of hot water on the wooden floor.   
  
"Here's your rag!", sneered the elder one, throwing an old piece of dirty cloth at Cinderella's face. "Or were you planning to use that dress you're wearing? If you can even call it a dress!"  
  
A single angry tear fell to the floor and mixed seamlessly with the soapy water as she resolutely began to clean.  
  
oOOo  
  
"I now pronounce you man and wife.", the minister closed his Bible. Anzu looked down at the small bouquet of flowers she was carrying. Her two new stepsisters were whispering something to each other. 'They do realize everyone can see them, right?' The other bridesmaids were looking bored and hot. They were having an unexpected early heat wave.  
  
As the ceremony ended, Anzu rushed forward to talk to her father, but he was busy kissing Tsubasa again.  
  
"Eww...", she murmured, turning back.   
  
"So Anzu-", Hibari said, coming up next to her.  
  
"We just can't wait-", her twin continued.  
  
"To see our new school!  
  
"Are there any, you know-"  
  
"Cute guys?"  
  
"Depends on your definition of cute.", Anzu told them. That 'finishing each other's sentences' thing was really getting on her nerves.  
  
"Hey, Anzu!", she turned around to see Yugi, Honda, Jou, and Jou's sister Shizuka running up to her.  
  
"Oh thank goodness!", she said to herself. "Excuse me, Hibari, Komadori.", Anzu told her new sisters as politely as she could. "I need to go talk to my friends."  
  
"But aren't we your friends too, Anzu-chan?", Hibari pouted.  
  
Anzu stared at her. 'Kami-sama, just what I need...' "Of- of course you are! I just, um...", She pointed at a random person. "Hey that guy looks just like Orlando Bloom!"  
  
"Really?!", the twins squealed, whirling around to look.  
  
Komadori turned around, disappointed. "What are you talking about, Anzu? He, like forty seven and...", the girl trailed off, confused.  
  
"Where'd Anzu run off to?", her sister asked no one in particular.   
  
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Anzu weaved through the chattering people, dragging Yugi with one hand, Honda with the other. Shizuka and Jounouchi followed, confused.  
  
"Say, Anzu? Weren't those your stepsisters?", Yugi asked. "I wanted to meet them."  
  
"Sorry Yugi.", ahe replied, stopping, and letting go of their hands. "But you'll have plenty of time to meet them. They're transferring to Domino High."  
  
"Really?", Honda said. "Cool! They were pretty cute!"  
  
"Cute like a raccoon before you realize it's rabid...", Anzu muttered. Actually even she had to admit that the twins were pretty. Even if they did wear WAY too much makeup for her tastes. They both had long black hair, a stark contrast to their mother's titian hair, but had her bright green eyes. And, too often, their eyes shared their mother's disdainful expression. You couldn't see any differnece between them, except for the fact that Hibari wore her hair in a long braid and talked more.  
  
"What do you mean?", Shizuka asked her, confused. "Have they been mean to you?"  
  
She smiled at her. Even though Shizuka was a year younger than her, Anzu had become good friends with her. "Not yet. More like...condescending, I guess."  
  
"Maybe you just need to get to know them better.", Yugi suggested.  
  
"I'll have plenty of time to do that."  
  
"Well, if they do anything to hurt you Anzu, you can bet I'll beat 'em to a pulp!"  
  
Anzu stared at Jounouchi. "You can't do that, Jou! They're just girls! Really, really annoying girls..."  
  
"Well then, we'll give them a 'stern talking to' ", Honda broke in, elbowing his friend. "Right, Jou?"  
  
"Right!", the two gave each other a mischievous grin. Shizuka shook her head at her brother.  
  
Anzu smiled too. She knew that Jou and Honda wouldn't really do anything to Hibari and Komadori, they were just trying to cheer her up.  
  
Yugi looked up at her. "You can always talk to me if they're bothering you Anzu. Sometimes it's better to get your frustration out.", he told her.  
  
"Thanks, Yugi.", the girl responded. He would know, often being the school bullies' favorite target. "I'll probably have to take you up on that soon..."  
  
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"And this is what used to be the guest room. You two get to sleep here.", Anzu gestured at the plain room.  
  
Hibari wrinkled her nose. "It's awfully...small, don't you think, sister?"  
  
"You took the words right out of my mouth.", her twin answered, twirling a piece of hair around her finger.   
  
"I mean," began Hibari, "Anzu's room is so much bigger than ours, and she's only one person!"  
  
Anzu twitched slightly as the two began complaining loudly and pointedly at each other. 'They have no right to complain!', she thought venomously. 'They're lucky I don't make them sleep on the roof! Hm. Why haven't I thought of doing that?'  
  
"Oh, giirls!', said their mother in a singsong voice, walking in. "How are you doing unpacking?"  
  
'Oh. That's why.'  
  
"Not so well, Mom.", sighed Hibari, blinking up at her. "This room isn't anywhere near big enough for us! Anzu's room is more the right size, though..."  
  
"I'll ask Ryuichi if you can switch rooms, then.", Tsubasa answered easily.   
  
Anzu stared at her like she was crazy. That had always been her room! And now this- woman- was telling her to move to the guest bedroom? In her own house?! And why did she seem to think that Anzu's father would say yes?  
  
"Thanks, Mom!", the twins hugged her as if she'd just agreed to buying them a pony.   
  
Anzu surreptitiously banged her head against the wall as her stepmother left. "Oh for the love of God, my life is over...", she muttered.   
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Eep!", Anzu squeaked. How had Komadori gotten next to her that fast? Oh well. It must have been her evil stepsister powers. Anzu grinned to herself; she liked that.  
  
"Anyway," Hibari said, grabbing her new stepsister's arm. "Let's go plan out what we're going to put in our new room!"  
  
"No way! It's my room!", Anzu exclaimed, trying to yank her arm back to no avail; Hibari just dug her green-painted fingernails in harder.   
  
"Not for long.", remarked Komadori, pushing Anzu out the door. Her sister proceeded to drag the blue-eyed girl upstairs to her room. They nearly threw her onto her bed as they began inspecting the walls.   
  
"Yes, I think our posters would fit here..."  
  
"Have you ever listened to American boy bands, Anzu? They're soo hot!"  
  
Anzu snorted. She hadn't been too impressed with them, herself.   
  
"Whatever. Anyway, would all of our clothes fit in this closet?"  
  
"I don't know, let's figure it out!", Anzu snuck out as quietly as she could as the twins chattered to each other. She ran down the stairs and into the living room where her father was supervising the movers bringing in the last couple boxes.  
  
"Dad!", she cried.  
  
"Hm?", he turned around and looked at her distraught face. "Anzu, what's wrong?"  
  
"Do you know what those- those - girls are trying to do, Dad? They're trying to steal my room! I mean they just waltzed right in and-"  
  
"Oh," Ryuichi interrupted, looking relieved. "It's just that. I know Anzu, Tsubasa came to me a few minutes ago and asked if it would be all right."  
  
She blinked, hurt, as he waved aside her problem. "And you said no, right?"  
  
"Actually I thought it would be a good idea."  
  
"What?!"  
  
He held up his hands. "Hear me out, please. They had a point. It makes more sense for a bigger room to go to two people and a smaller room to one person. Besides, you're sixteen. You'll be begging to move out soon."  
  
"Sooner than you think...", Anzu muttered. She sighed. "I guess it'd be okay..."  
  
"Thanks, honey.", he gave her a quick hug. "You know what? Why don't you call up some of your friends and they can help you move your stuff."  
  
Anzu brightened a little. "Good idea! But, um, can you take Tsubasa-san and the twins out to dinner or something? It might, um...", she tried to think of a good excuse to get her stepfamily out of the house, "be, uh... crowded in here, you know with all of my friends and them in here...yeah..."  
  
Her father was oblivious to her lame excuse. "Sure, I was planning to take them out anyway."  
  
As Anzu left to go find her cell phone she suddenly stopped. "Wait. He meant to take them out and leave me here alone? Nah, that couldn't have been what he meant..." she shook the thought off and continued on her way.  
  
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"My god Anzu.", grunted Jounouchi as he lifted one end of her bureau, Honda on the other end. "What do you have in this thing?"  
  
"You know, Jou.", commented his sister, who was sitting on Anzu's bed with Anzu and Yugi. "It might have been easier if you'd let us take all of the stuff out first."  
  
"Yeah, is it even gonna fit out the door this way?", asked Yugi.  
  
"Only one way to find out.", said Honda as the two inched out the doorway, bumping the furniture on the frame. "Oops, sorry."  
  
"Doesn't matter to me.", Anzu answered, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "It's not my room anymore; it's the twins'.", she blinked, then got a mischievous look on her face. "In that case..."  
  
They all sweatdropped. The three on the bed watched as the other two made their way out of the room and into the hall.  
  
"Do you think we should help them down the stairs?", asked Shizuka.  
  
"Probably."  
  
"They'll probably fall down and break something. Like their necks."  
  
Nevertheless they sat there for several moments before sighing and getting up. However Jou and Honda were already safely halfway downstairs. Yugi leaned on the banister, watching as they went the rest of the way down.   
  
"Good job, guys!", called Anzu. "Only five more things to go!" The two groaned.  
  
"One was hard enough.", but Jou made his way up to them anyway.  
  
"And we'll even help you this time!", said Yugi, grinning brightly.  
  
Honda and Jounouchi sweatdropped at their idea of 'helping'. While they carried a desk, Anzu had a lamp, Yugi a large pencil sharpener and case of pencils from off of the desk, and Shizuka had a stack of books. They continued this way for a while, the two stronger boys carrying furniture, while the others carried smaller things. After an hour or so, they finally had all of the major things out of the room, besides the things that would stay in the room, including the bed and an old table that Anzu had never really like anyway.  
  
"Well that was fun.", ssaid Honda, stretching. "I think I'll leave now."   
  
He didn't even get a chance to turn around before Anzu protested. "What are talking about? Now we have to put everything into my new room!"  
  
"Oh great..."  
  
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Yay! I enjoyed that chapter, even though it was basically just introducing the twins and their evilness. One thing: I know the wedding wasn't a Japanese wedding, but I'm more familiar with an American Christian-type wedding, and didn't want to mess up the Japanese way.  
  
Review!!! 


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